Terebinthian Sun
by CooperGirlHH
Summary: High King Peter of Narnia, enjoying life ... One-shot, pure fluff :) Reviews are welcome


**Terebinthian Sun**

 **Summary:** High King Peter of Narnia, enjoying life... pure fluff :)

 **Author's Notes:** I was just in the mood to carry our sweet, hard-working High King off to a very lovely holiday (which he hugely deserves) ... if you like, come along!

This was beta-ed twice; my thanks go to _**Lydwina Marie**_ & _**JubileeKnight**_ for their efforts to do this! You're so great!

Happy weekend, everybody! And enjoy ...

XXX

Peter woke to the sensations of the warm sun-rays shining into his room through the little window and tickling his nose gently. It was going to be another beautiful day, he could tell by glancing out at the already-blue skies, but for now Narnia's High King decided to remain where he was, lying on his back underneath the thin summer duvet, his hands crossed behind his head. Although the brightness outside signalled that it was probably already quite warm out despite the early morning hour, the thick stone castle wall had so far kept the room comfortably cool.

By the angle of the rays coming in Peter could tell that it was around eight to eight-thirty in the morning, not yet time for breakfast. At least not here... If he were at Cair Paravel, that would be a different story, but here in Terebinthia, time for breakfast meant nine in the morning. It could be held later even, depending on what was planned for the day.

This particular day was to be another one they – Peter and his three siblings – would spend with Medeha, daughter to the count of East Terebinthia. The four Narnian sovereigns had been invited by the count for a long holiday and indeed, they already spent six weeks in the small castle, with the welcome prospect of another two weeks ahead. It was the longest time they had ever gone vacationing since they had been crowned over ten years ago, but the country of Narnia had been left in Peridan's capable hands for the time being, and if anything were to go amiss, Peter had full confidence he would be sent for at once.

So far, however, no call for help had reached Peter and his siblings, and the High King had spent a wonderfully relaxed time, enjoying the sunny weather, beautiful landscapes and vast offerings of food to their fullest. His days had been spent doing nothing but swimming, riding, fishing, sleeping late and eating until he felt like bursting.

Indeed, if ever there was a place that offered a greater variety of food, including fresh sweet fruit and exotic spices, Peter had yet to learn of it. In the six weeks he had been here already, he had tried as many different dishes as he had partaken of in eleven years of dwelling in Narnia, each one more delicious than the last. Terebinthia was a place of wonder for every one of her inhabitants and visitors alike, and Peter had enjoyed this place of peace and perfection in every moment since his arrival.

In the past Terebinthia had been repeatedly raided by pirates, most of whom had originated from Calormen, but the latest raid reported was over ten years ago. Having it made known just after his coronation that Terebinthia and her sister island, Galma, were under the protection of Narnia, Peter could only hope that this widespread knowledge would keep the pirates away in the future, for he had seen the meagre army the island possessed. The king and Count Medane had even discussed the possibility of sending some of Narnia's soldiers to train these men, but the count had thus far declined the offer. He was strong-willed and believed in keeping peace at any cost, as much as Peter believed in protecting his own country.

Deciding that it was finally time to get out of bed and prepare for breakfast, Peter threw aside the soft blanket and hopped off the mattress. He stole another glance out of the window, taking in the bits of clear blue sky that showed beyond the green treetops just outside the castle wall. Medeha had invited him and his brother and sisters along on a trip to her favourite place by a river in the middle of the island. She had learned to swim there, she had said.

Looking forward to a day spent riding and swimming, Peter slipped out of his night shirt and went to look for a pair of shorts. The good thing about holidays was that court attire was not needed - _thank the Lion_. It would have been way too hot.

Before the new kings and queens, Hermus, their royal dressmaker, had possessed no knowledge of swimming clothes, and it had been Queen Lucy who had had the idea to sew a few pairs of shorts for her brothers, and short light dresses for herself and her sister. They all loved swimming and while it didn't seem appropriate for them to go without any clothes at all, they had wanted something light and practical.

Peter owned three pairs of those shorts, all of which had been put to use several times within their first weeks on the island until they were filthy and full of sand from the beach. Having spent some time mostly with riding and fishing, Peter thought – quite reasonably – that the valets should have had enough time to get his swimming-wear clean and de-sanded.

He rummaged through the enormous wooden closet in his guest room, and when he finally found a pair of shorts and slipped them on, he noticed that he found them uncomfortably difficult to button. For a moment he wondered if maybe the valets had made a mistake and given him one of his brother's pairs, but trying a different one, the results were the same.

"Oh, hang it all," Peter mumbled to himself, not caring that he sounded rather not so kingly. "It will have to suffice," he decided, and donned a pair of breeches and a loose-fitting linen shirt on top.

On the way out the door he caught sight of his face in the small looking glass. He really looked like a man on a holiday; his skin was tanned and his hair had grown long; his bangs were constantly slipping forward into his eyes. And his beard needed a trimming as well, he noticed distractedly. Still, he couldn't help grinning at the reflection; part of him really liked this newly relaxed version of High King Peter the Magnificent.

A couple of minutes later he had joined his sisters at the breakfast table, which was laden, as always, with a wide variety of foods.

The Narnian guests had their own place to gather and enjoy their meals, placed in the shadows of a bunch of thick apple trees in one of the smaller courtyards.

Unsurprised, Peter noticed that his brother had not yet arrived, but there was no sense in waiting for Edmund before starting with their meal. He had taken to indulge himself by sleeping as long as he wanted, and the times the younger king had joined his siblings on time for breakfast could be counted on one hand.

"Has Medeha announced the time of our departure yet?" Peter asked his sisters, greedily taking in the variety of foods laid out in front of him. There were bunches of grapes in different colors, many sorts of cheeses, smoked ham and fish, honey, and two sorts of bread along with a few fruit tarts.

Susan smiled gently as she replied. "Not yet. But she sent word that she will come to meet us here once the horses are saddled and the picnic provisions are packed. All we'll have to do until then is sit here and wait."

Lucy, excited and looking it as she shifted about in her seat, added in a cheerful tone, "and hope that Ed will be up and about until then." She grinned. "Medeha would never agree to take us out on a day's trip without our darling brother ... Hand me the tarts, Peter, will you?"

Peter smiled and did as he was told, thinking about Lucy's words. Medeha had indeed taken a liking to their brother, that was obvious. It was part of the reason they had been invited. The High King had to admit that he very much enjoyed watching how the young lady with that sweet smile and gentle caring soul had finally managed to turn his brother into the gentleman he had thus far refused to be. It must nice for Edmund, too, to receive the attention, especially when the females' flirtatious looks were almost always directed at the elder of the two kings, the still unmarried High King

It was quite tiring for Peter, knowing that the court ladies were bound to judge him by his title, and, of course, once they got a glimpse of him, by his looks. None had ever come close enough to judge him by his character, yet, and he was still looking out for the special one he might invite to do just that. Right now, though, the luck lay with his younger brother, and Peter would have been a beast not to be happy about it.

He helped himself to some grapes and cheese along with a few of the fruit tarts. He ate until he was so stuffed he (unconcernedly) wondered how he was supposed to get onto horseback once they were ready to leave. After he had finished his meal he stretched his legs out comfortably and yawned, enjoying the rays of sun warming his face.

It wasn't until he finally felt able to move again that a servant came to tell the siblings that the horses were readied, and that the duke's daughter had announced they would be leaving.

"Hang on," said Lucy, puzzled, "where's Ed?"

"If you are talking about your royal brother, Madam," said the servant sheepishly, "you will find him out by the stables with the lady."

This made all three siblings grin, and they lost no time in getting themselves ready to join the pair. Medoar, Medeha's younger brother, would also be joining them – as well as two of the grooms, to look out for the horses while the picnic was being held.

As they rode out, Peter soon found himself next to Medoar, a typical fourteen-year-old who reminded Peter very much of his own brother at that age – and maybe also little of himself at the same age.

"It's horrible," Medoar was saying, rolling his eyes as he nodded towards the very end of the small party where Edmund and Medeha were so deeply in conversation they did not seem to be able to acknowledge the presence of anyone else. "I could fall off and break my neck, and she wouldn't even notice!"

Peter had to laugh at that. "Don't worry. We've got Susan along, in case you're in need of some fussing."

Medoar vehemently denied this, and soon the two of them were deep in conversation. Before he knew it Peter found himself promising to teach the boy how to fight; thanks to the newfound peace, Duke Medane had kept his son from the training grounds, and Peter had only just made his promise when he realised that he had no right to teach the boy something that his father didn't want him to learn. But then, a little mock swordfight using fallen tree branches couldn't hurt. And it might even do Peter some good, seeing as he had not wielded a weapon in weeks himself. He would be in for a hard time once he returned to the training grounds of Cair Paravel under the stern eyes of the Narnian centaur general. It couldn't hurt to find out if the past six weeks had already slowed him down a bit.

They rode between soft slopes and in the shade of thick green trees, the rays of sunlight shining through the treetops, warming their skin. It did not take long before Peter vowed he could hardly bear the heat anymore, and he had already been considering if he could rid himself of shoes and shirt. But already the horses drew to a stop at a large, solid rock. A small river flowed beneath them, and the smooth surface of the rock, partly shaded by the trees, was a good, clean place to sit on – even Susan had to agree. They all dismounted, watching in amusement as Medoar chucked the reins of his horse at the grooms and stripped off his tunic, diving into the cool, fresh water of the river.

"Come on!" yelled the youngster, waving excitedly at the High King, and with a grin Peter followed the example. The splash he made jumping into the water went far enough to wet Susan's neatly arranged skirts, and everyone laughed as she scolded him half-heartedly, reminding him that he was twenty-four, not fourteen. While the elder queen made herself comfortable on the rock, Peter's two younger siblings dived into the water as well. Lucy was soon swimming across the river to the other side with Peter and Medoar on her heels, while Edmund turned to face Medeha. The lady still stood upon the rock beside Susan, visibly uncertain whether she should abandon dignity and jump after them, or take the more ladylike approach and climb down slowly into the water.

The bath was so enjoyable that Peter stayed in the water for an hour at the very least before finally climbing out and seating himself, dripping wet, on the rock next to Susan.

"Su, honestly, you should get yourself into the water as well, it's quite fantastic," he said, a little out of breath.

She smiled. "Isn't it quite cold? Medeha says it's coming straight from the mountain top." She was a very good swimmer, the best of the four but she disliked unknown waters – and even more than that, she disliked the cold.

"But that's the best part of it," Peter grinned. Shading his eyes, he watched Lucy and Medoar racing through the water. After many years of practice, Lucy was a fairly fast swimmer, but she didn't stand a chance against the fourteen-year-old – and from the looks of it, she didn't care. A few yards off, Edmund was entertaining his lady by picking her up and throwing her into the water, making her giggle in a very unladylike way.

A soft breeze tugged gently at Peter's hair. As much as he loved Narnia, he found himself wondering if he couldn't stay here the whole summer, and maybe even until autumn would colour the leaves a dark crimson.

"What are you thinking about?" Susan asked him quietly, and he realized only then that she had probably been watching him daydream.

"Oh, nothing really," he said with a smile. "Just how much good this holiday is doing all of us. We should have done it before."

Susan nodded in agreement. "You're right, it's lovely. To think that only a couple of months ago I was so worried about you all, what with you and Ed just returning from the north only a couple of days before the feast ... Lucy in tears for the many lives we lost ..."

"I know," said Peter, stretching his legs and leaning back on his arms. "But never forget, Su, we did everything we could to save as many lives as possible."

This was true. The chill weather they'd experienced the previous year had been the harshest winter since the beginning of their reign. The kings had ridden out to the coldest regions and had helped handing out food and firewood; the weakest they had picked up to bring to Cair Paravel, or to highly cooperative hosts living further south, where the winter was not quite as harsh. Peter and Edmund had spent all season there, and had in turn received the gratitude of the whole Narnian north for it. But there had been a few close calls, including Edmund being caught in a blizzard on his way back one time. His whole party had been in danger of freezing. Peter had made a vow to be better prepared for the next winter, even if not it might turn out as cold as the last.

"Enjoy the moment, Su," he told her. "It's been a lovely time and we all hugely deserved it. By the way, I am planning to talk to Medane about taking some of the food back to Narnia and keeping it over the winter. Judging by the opulence we've witnessed everywhere on Terebinthia, I think he can bear to share some of it."

Susan grinned. "Talking about opulence, I might just tell you that I'm happy to see you're finally starting to put some meat on your bones." She gave his side a little poke.

He raised an eyebrow at her and grinned back. "Is it that noticeable?"

Laughing, Susan shook her head. "Well, Lucy said she noticed as well. But I don't think Edmund has."

Rolling his eyes, Peter mumbled, "Lucky me. I'd be in for such teasing."

"On the other hand," Susan continued, "I don't think he's got eyes for anyone but Medeha at the moment. So once we're back on the ship with no girl around to hold his attention, you might still be in for some teasing."

Peter smirked. "Oh, but then it would be quite all right. Besides, I'll be in for more than just teasing once Oreius has me back on his training grounds. Better getting used to leaving the comfort zone early."

They both snickered, but after a while Susan called out to the others and suggested they start with their picnic.

Everyone climbed out of the water and warmed themselves on the rock, but they were now completely unprotected from the sun, and it wasn't until Susan began chastising them for risking to get sunburnt that any of them moved. Soon after the meal, Edmund and Medeha excused themselves and disappeared, hand in hand, into the woods. Rolling their eyes, Lucy and Medoar jumped back into the water.

The hours passed by much too quickly, and too soon it was time to get back on horseback and ride for the castle. Peter helped the grooms saddle the horses while Lucy and Medoar scrambled frantically about in the river, stealing a few last moments of the blessed coolness. Edmund and Medeha were nowhere to be seen.

"Peter, go and find your brother, will you?" said Susan, rearranging her skirts. She shouted for the two youngest and shooed them out of the water and back into their clothes.

Peter felt slightly uncomfortable as he trotted off towards the woods. He wasn't sure that he wouldn't run into something he wasn't supposed to witness – and didn't want to witness, either. After all, the two of them were grown up and obviously in love, so Peter didn't want to intrude.

He needn't have worried, though. He soon found them sitting beneath a tree, Edmund's arm around Medeha's shoulders, still talking animatedly. It didn't cease to amaze Peter how the young lady got his brother talking so much. Edmund usually was a man of few words, preferring to get straight to the point with whatever he had to say. With Medeha around, though, he seemed to turn into something of a chatterbox.

As they rode back to the castle a light breeze picked up, getting stronger the closer they got to the seaside where Medane's castle lay. For the last part of their way they rode close to shore, that stretched before them in gentle slopes, a narrow beach connecting the soft green hills with the deep blue sea. Peter breathed in deeply, enjoying the salty scent - it reminded him of Cair Paravel.

"Would you like to take dinner on the beach with my family tonight?" Medeha's gentle voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Everybody agreed to the idea and at once one of the grooms sped up his horse to ride back quickly and make sure everything would be set up in time.

Once back in his comfortably cool guest room Peter changed out of his filthy riding clothes and quickly washed off the dust and sweat from the long ride in the sunny warmth. After donning a clean tunic and fresh breeches he walked down to the beach to find that a long table had been set up, already loaded with all sorts of pleasant-looking dainties.

Count Medane and his family had gathered around the table, waiting for Peter and his three siblings to join them.

Ten minutes later, everyone had arrived. Flanked by his sisters, and opposite his brother and his lady Peter could not have felt happier.

In the west, the sun was sinking low over the Terebinthia's green hills. The sea breeze became stronger and next to Peter, Susan wrapped a flowy, silken shawl around her slender shoulders, which were otherwise left uncovered by her light summer dress.

After they had finished the main course, the valets brought on some sweets; more fruit tarts and rich chocolate cream and sweet, warm apple pie. While helping himself to some dessert Peter noticed not for the first time how all servants were all smiling widely, as if they enjoyed serving the count's family and their visitors from Narnia very much. Indeed, Peter had realised some time before that everybody working in and around the castle seemed to be just as content and as happy as Peter's own servants back at Cair Paravel; a sure sign that Medane was treating them well. It seemed all the more reason to like the count and to approve of the developing closeness between his daughter and Peter's younger brother.

It was just when Peter thought of Edmund that he realised that his brother's gaze was directed at him. He smiled. "What's on your mind, Ed?"

The dark eyes glinted with at him with unconcealed humour. "You've got some chocolate, right there on the tip of your nose," Edmund informed him mischievously, indicating the spot by tapping a finger on the tip of his own nose. "Maybe you should watch out a bit more while eating." He broke into a wide grin. "Besides, you might want to start watching your eating altogether, Pete, or otherwise you might just pop right out of your armour back at home."

There was a moment of silence as Peter stared at his brother, mouth hanging slightly open. Slowly, he brought up a hand to his nose, wiping off the chocolate, when a low, half-stifled snicker erupted next to him. He turned to look at Lucy, and she snickered once more, nudging him in the side.

"Oh, Peter," she said, "you should see the look on your face right now." And then she broke into full-out laughter, giggling until she had to hold her stomach. Peter himself was the first to join in, and soon they all laughed joyfully.

The High King could not have been happier.

XXX

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this lovely day under the Terebinthian sun as much as Peter did! Let me know:)

Cheers!

PS. If you want to read more about Edund and his lady, Medeha, please check out my fics _**A Narnian (K)night**_ and _**The Knight And The Lady**_ (in progress)


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